Other books that might interest you

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  Watergate & the Teapot Dome...

  Charles River Editors

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  The early 20th century was a time of sudden growth for the young American automobile industry, and of a military beginning to extend its reach around the world. In what would become largely a jurisdictional dispute over Western natural resources, the unbridled oil industry of the new century collided with the United States military and the Department of the Interior, set against the dominance of a corruption-riddled presidential administration. For the first time in American history, in a test between entrepreneurism and government management, a high-ranking cabinet official was convicted of corruption and sent to prison in the aftermath, along with his co-conspirators. Although never directly implicated in the row over Teapot Dome and its sister fields, the administration of Republican Warren G. Harding, elected in November of 1921, set the scandal in motion by transferring control of the Navy’s oil fields to the Department of Interior, at the Secretary of the Interior’s incessant urging.  
  	Increasingly and mistakenly viewed as a single scandal within the United States government, what is commonly referred to as the Watergate scandal serves as an overarching term for a series of scandals beginning in 1971 and extending through 1974, although more than any other, it refers to the specific break-in at the Watergate Hotel and office complex in Washington, D.C. The crisis, originating in a secretive battle between the two major political parties, the Nixon White House’s paranoia, and the ensuing conflict concerning the release of confidential information to the public, induced senior government officials into committing crimes (most notoriously petty burglary) and coverups for the purposes of character assassination and inter-political espionage, and it ultimately resulted in the first and only resignation of a sitting American president.

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  Laboratories of Terror - The...

  Marc-Stephan Junge, Lynne Viola

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  Laboratories of Terror explores the final chapter of Stalin's Great Terror in Soviet Ukraine. 
   
   
   
  When the Communist Party Central Committee and the Council of People's Commissars of the USSR halted mass operations in repression in November 1938, large numbers of mainly Communist purge victims whose cases remained incomplete were released. At the same time, hundreds of NKVD operatives who had carried out the Great Terror were scapegoated and arrested. 
   
   
   
  Drawing on materials from the largely closed archives of the Soviet security police, this collection of essays by an international team of researchers illuminates the previously opaque world of the NKVD perpetrator. It uncovers the mechanics and logistics of the terror at the local level by examining the criminal files of a series of mid-level NKVD operatives from across Ukraine. The result offers new perspectives on both Stalin's central role in the architecture of the terror and NKVD perpetrators' agency in implementing one of the most horrific episodes of twentieth-century mass violence.

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  Freedom of Speech - Navigating...

  Marcus Klein

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  Freedom of speech is a cornerstone of democratic societies, integral to the exercise of individual autonomy and the pursuit of truth. At its core, it is the right to express ideas, opinions, and beliefs without fear of government reprisal or censorship. This principle is enshrined in numerous legal documents, most notably the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees "the freedom of speech, or of the press," protecting the individual’s right to speak openly in the public sphere. 
    
  The origins of free speech can be traced back to philosophical and political thinkers of the Enlightenment era, who emphasized the importance of reason, individual rights, and personal liberty. Thinkers such as John Locke, Voltaire, and John Stuart Mill argued that the free exchange of ideas was essential for the flourishing of society, allowing for the progress of knowledge, the correction of errors, and the protection of political freedom. These ideas laid the groundwork for the modern understanding of free expression as a fundamental human right. 
    
  However, the right to free speech is not absolute. Throughout history, the boundaries of this freedom have been tested by a wide range of societal, political, and ethical concerns. From the regulation of speech in times of war or national security threats to the ongoing debates over hate speech, defamation, and misinformation, societies have struggled to find a balance between protecting free expression and safeguarding the common good. This tension continues to shape the debate surrounding free speech, particularly in the context of emerging technologies like social media, which have transformed the landscape of communication.

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  Hittites - History of the...

  Kelly Mass

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  The Hittites were mentioned in the Bible. They were an Anatolian people that contributed to creating a kingdom in Kussara before 1750 BC, the Kanesh or Nesha kingdom between 1750 and 1650 BC, and finally an empire based upon Hattusa in north-central Anatolia around 1650 BC. Under uppiluliuma I, the empire reached its peak in the mid-14th century BC, when it ruled over much of Anatolia and areas of the northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia.Between the 15th and 13th centuries BC, the Hattusa Empire, also called the Hittite Empire, defended control of the Near East with the New Kingdom of Egypt, the Middle Assyrian Empire, and the Mitanni Empire. The Middle Assyrian Empire ultimately emerged as the dominant power, took much of the Hittite Empire, and ransacked the rest by Phrygian newbies to the area. The Hittites separated into numerous self-governing Syro-Hittite countries around c. 1180 BC, at the time of the Late Bronze Age collapse, some of which stayed till the 8th century BC before giving up to the Neo-Assyrian Empire.I urge you to learn more about this fascinating people from the ancient world.

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  1984 Nomination Acceptance Address

  Ronald Reagan

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  On August 23, 1984, at the Dallas Convention Center, Reagan accepts the presidential nomination of the Republican party. Reagan reminds Democrats of the high inflation and interest rates when he took office in 1980 and claims Democrats “never met a tax they didn't like or hike.”  
  In 1981 “we started a policy of tightening the Federal budget instead of the family budget.” Reagan cites an improved “misery index” (the total of the inflation and unemployment rates) and improved poverty levels.  
  “In the 4 years before we took office, country after country fell under the Soviet yoke. Since January 20th, 1981, not 1 inch of soil has fallen to the Communists.” (long applause)  
  America is “more confident than ever” with “the strongest economic growth” and “the fastest rate of job creation”.  
  We support NATO, Israel, and free Latin American States that “struggle to prevent Communist takeovers fueled massively by the Soviet Union and Cuba.” We rescued “American students on the imprisoned island of Grenada.” 
  We oppose deficits, and support a balanced budget amendment, the line-item veto, tuition tax credits, enterprise zones, and lower taxes. There is no room for anti-Semitism or bigotry in the party of Lincoln. 
  With America at peace, “we’re in the midst of a springtime of hope” and see America as “a shining city on a hill.” We look forward to “the Olympic Games here in the United States” and marvel “at the journey of the Olympic torch” across our country. 
  Audio recording courtesy of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library.  
  AspenLeafMedia.com

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  MacArthur Reconsidered - General...

  James Ellman

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  One of America's most controversial generals, Douglas MacArthur's rise through the US Army's ranks was meteoric. However, he did not lead large formations of men in combat until he assumed command of forces in the Philippines in 1941. When war commenced with the bombing of Pearl Harbor, MacArthur's performance on the battlefield was a failure: he underestimated the Japanese, and his poorly trained forces were outmaneuvered and outfought by a much smaller invading force. 
   
   
   
  In his subsequent role as America's shogun in Tokyo, MacArthur was again surprised by an enemy he underestimated. The Korean War yielded his greatest victory, at Inchon, but also his greatest defeat, along the Yalu River. Unwilling to accept anything but complete victory, he openly defied President Truman: MacArthur fatally undermined chances for an early peace and attempted to widen a conflict which threatened to become a third world war. Raging against his subsequent firing, he only truly faded away after he was publicly criticized by a panoply of America's greatest WWII generals. 
   
   
   
  Today, MacArthur still polarizes. Many biographies agree he was a great and patriotic leader marred by a few failures. James Ellman argues the opposite: MacArthur was a lackluster battlefield commander who suffered stunning defeats while undermining the command structure of our military.

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